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Biodynamic® Farming
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We're Demeter
certified biodynamic®
in our growing practices, and Stellar certified organic,
meaning we understand
the intricate connection between growing premium grapes and making
great wines. That is why we are committed to meticulous vineyard
management practices, including biodynamic®
farming methods.
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Biodynamic® farming
began in the early 1920's. A group of practicing farmers, concerned
with the decline of the soil, sought the advice of Dr. Rudolf Steiner,
who had spent all his life researching and investigating the forces
that regulate life and growth. From a series of lectures and
conversations held in June 1924, emerged the fundamental principles of
biodynamic® farming, a unified approach to agriculture that relates the
ecology of the earth-organism to that of the entire cosmos. This
approach has been under development in many parts of the world ever
since. |
Dr. Rudolf Steiner |
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Biodynamic® farming
focuses on the entire farm as one living organism. According to
pioneers of biodynamic® farming, the maintenance and development of the
microbial life of the soil is a basic necessity if it is to be
preserved for our future generations. We see our vineyard as an
individual organism that will eventually showcase its own identity
through the fruit it develops. Biodynamic® farming combines the
knowledge of premium viticultural practices with an understanding on
how to treat the vineyard and its surrounding areas in order to
achieve desired long-term farming results. |
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Growth Cycle
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At Johan Vineyards,
we carefully manage the vines at each step of the growth cycle.
Summarized below is the yearly cycle of our vineyards and some of the
methods and applications we use to insure healthy vine growth.
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November – March: |
Dormancy
Vineyard practice: Pruning |
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April – May: |
Bud-break
Vineyard practice: Frost Protection |
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May - June: |
Shoot
growth
Vineyard practice: shoot thinning and
sucker removal canopy management |
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Early June: |
Bloom
Vineyard practice: leaf sampling for
nutrient assessment of the vine |
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Late June: |
Fruit
set
Vineyard practice: leaf removal
around fruit, canopy management |
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July – August: |
Lag
phase
When the vine shifts from a
vegetative stage to a fruiting stage noted by seed hardening and
slow growth to the shoot tips.
Vineyard practice: hedging shoot tip removal
(giving the vines a “hair cut”) |
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August: |
Véraison
When the grapes start to soften and change color.
Vineyard practice: crop thinning
to adjust crop levels to ensure balanced vines |
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September –
October: |
Harvest
Vineyard practice: pick grapes |
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November: |
Post
Harvest fertilization
Vineyard practice: apply compost |
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Vineyard Layout
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Our vineyards are broken
into 12 blocks that feature a mixture of varietals, clones, root stocks,
slope, and soil types. This combination allows us more flexibility and
choice of fruit with which to make our wines and provide fruit to our
winery partners.
To learn more about our blocks, feel free to
explore our
Interactive Vineyard Layout.
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